Just Forget About It
by CelticPagan-3
Summary: Round 3 entry for QLFC. During the summer before fifth year, Ron discovers more than he bargained for at Grimmauld Place - something that continues to plague him for the remainder of the year.


**_A/N: Hey readers! Here is my entry for Round 3 of the QLFC_._ - For anyone following Winter's Wrath or Enlivened by the Future, I haven't forgotten about them, and I will update soon :)_**

**_This round was about rare pairs (a pairing with less than 200 stories in the romance category):_**

**_Rare-pair: Sirius Black & Ron Weasley._**

**_Additional Prompts: #10 - Towels. #13 - Dialogue: 'Forget about it.' #15 - "Life is an awful, ugly place to not have a best friend." - Sarah Dessen._**

**_Hop_****_e you enjoy - xBx_**

**_*#*#*_**

**Just Forget About It**

This summer had to have been the hottest on record, and Ron wasn't enjoying a single ray of the summer sunshine. Usually, days like these would find him and his brothers out in the orchard behind the Burrow, practicing Quidditch. But not this summer. No – this summer he was cooped up inside a dusty mansion trying to make it 'fit for human habitation'.

Ron was spending the summer at number twelve Grimmauld Place, the current headquarters to the Order of the Phoenix. At first, spending summer at headquarters sounded thrilling, being right there in the thick of it. But in reality it was boring as hell. Being underage, Ron was never allowed in any of the meetings, and instead of being kept in the loop about the fight against You Know Who, he was cleaning carpets.

Ron supposed it could be worse – he was only there for a few more weeks and then he would be returning to Hogwarts. Sirius, on the other hand, was stuck here indefinitely – Dumbledore's orders.

Surprisingly, Ron had struck up quite a friendship with Sirius as they bonded over their mutual concern for one Harry Potter. Both were worried about him, stuck out in Surrey, with no contact with what was happening. Both were writing to him but it seemed rather futile, as they were not actually telling him anything. And both were aware that Harry's responses were getting more and more tense – they both agreed it was only a matter of time before Harry did something rash.

Ron sighed as he trudged upstairs, collecting towels from every bathroom so that his mother could wash them. When he passed the door to Mrs. Black's old room, he noticed it was ajar. Peering around the door, he saw Sirius sat with his back to the bed, feeding Buckbeak raw chicken legs.

"Hey," Ron said, pushing the door open and stepping inside. He didn't know what it was, but something about Harry's godfather drew Ron to him. At first, they had only spoken a few brief words to one another, but the longer Ron spent in Grimmauld Place, the more he got to know Sirius and the more he enjoyed his company - to the point of almost craving it.

"Hey, yourself," Sirius said looking up, and grinning when he saw Ron's arms laden with laundry. "Doing Molly's leg-work again, I see."

Ron chucked the towels to the ground and took a seat opposite Sirius, leaning back against the wall. "When am I not?" he complained**. **"What are you hiding up here for? I thought you'd be at the meeting."

"Avoiding Dumbledore." Sirius said, with a hint of bitterness. "I've had enough of going over the same argument."

"I got another letter from Harry today," Ron said. "He's getting really wound up, stuck at his aunt and uncle's place."

Sirius nodded as he casually tossed another chicken bone to the hippogriff, "I don't know how he's lasted this long – that must be the Lily in him. James would have done something reckless by now to get our full attention," he said with a sad smile.

Ron would be the first to admit that he wasn't great when it came to understanding other people's feelings, but even he could read Sirius' emotions in that moment.

"You really miss him, don't you?" he asked quietly.

"Of course I do. He was my best friend," Sirius said soberly, "I reckon Harry is to you what James was to me – can you imagine what your life would be like without Harry?"

Ron thought – really thought – and shuddered at the notion. Life without Harry, for Ron, would be bleak, no doubt about it. Life wasn't wonderful; it was full of trials and tribulations. But with Harry and Hermione at his side, Ron could find the funny side to things. The dark became lighter and the hard days became easier.

"It wouldn't be much of a life," Ron said. "But you're still here - that has to count for something."

"All because of Harry. It's like having a piece of James back," Sirius said. The pair fell into a pensive silence, and Ron mulled over his recent thoughts.

Their world was on the verge of a full-blown war – there was no denying it – and war meant casualties. What if something happened to Harry or Hermione, and Ron was left alone? How would he stop the darkness taking over? And what if something happened to Sirius? For some reason, that idea was just as painful. Ron didn't know Sirius like he knew Harry, but there was something about him that made Ron feel like he never wanted to lose him.

Ron shook his head to clear his thoughts, and struggled back to his feet, gathering up the discarded laundry in the process, "The meeting should be finished by now - I should get this to my mum before she starts screaming worse than that portrait."

Sirius gave a bark of laughter. "Good idea," he grinned at Ron, and the smile sent a flutter through Ron's stomach.

* * *

Over the next couple of weeks, Ron continued to get that fluttering sensation whenever Sirius would flash a grin in his direction. The compulsion to be around him grew stronger every day. But it wasn't until the morning before Harry's arrival, that understanding fully dawned on Ron.

Ron had been cleaning out a cupboard in the upstairs dining room and had accidentally spilt something foul smelling – though thankfully nothing lethal – all over himself. The liquid itself was easy enough to vanish, but the smell lingered, and Ron really needed to shower before he vomited.

He made his way to the fourth floor bathroom, reaching the landing just as the bathroom door opened. Sirius stepped out in a cloud of steam, wearing nothing but a towel, his skin glistening from the moisture that still clung to him.

Ron halted mid step, his eyes raking over Sirius from head to toe. He took in the sight before him, and became mesmerised by a droplet of water as it dripped from the tip of Sirius hair. It ran down his chest, over the faint outline of muscles down his torso and past his belly button. Ron followed its progress until it disappeared down into the towel.

Suddenly the familiar fluttering was accompanied by a new sensation of a tingling heat spreading through to his extremities, as Ron digested the sight before him. And suddenly all was completely understood.

_Bloody hell! I'm attracted to Sirius!_

Sirius' features crinkled in disgust as he looked up, and Ron automatically thought it was _he_ causing such a look. Ron's face instantly flushed at being caught in his blatant staring, and in a momen of panic he actually thought he had spoken aloud.

"What is that smell?" Sirius asked, and Ron breathed a sigh of relief as he realised it was _the smell_ that had caused the look of revulsion to cross Sirius' features, and not Ron's presence in general.

Ron grimaced. "Got something spilt on me in the dining room—" he mumbled, now looking everywhere but at a half-naked Sirius, well aware that his face was likely matching his hair.

"Ah," Sirius nodded; completely unaware of the effect he was having on his Godson's best friend. "Sorry, mate, my mother had a vast collection of unsavoury things dotted about in every room. Nothing a hot shower won't wash away though."

Ron made an odd noise, and mumbled something unintelligible, before practically running into the bathroom, leaving a confused Sirius behind him.

Sirius stared at the bathroom door for a full minute, with a baffled expression, before shaking his head and retreating back to his room, mumbling "teenagers" as he went.

For the rest of the day, Ron was quieter than usual as he mulled over his most recent epiphany, and by dinnertime his odd behaviour had drawn the notice of more than one member of his family.

"Ron. _Ron!_ Ronald?"

"Huh?" Ron looked up from his plate of nearly finished stew to see his mother gazing at him in concern.

"Is everything all right dear?" his mother asked. "You haven't even had second helpings this evening."

Ron shrugged. "I'm fine," he mumbled, avoiding everybody's eyes, turning red as he felt their gazes turn to him.

"Aww," Fred's voice teased somewhere from Ron's right. "Is our 'ickle Ronniekins in love?"

"Course not! Shut it!" Ron's face flushed even more, as he stared determinedly at his plate.

George joined in with his twin's laughter, "He is!" he crowed. "Come on Ron, tell us who it is."

"You two leave your brother alone!" Mrs Weasley snapped. "Make yourselves useful and get things out for dessert – and no magic!"

In the confusion and bustle of changing courses, Hermione leaned towards Ron so they could whisper without being overheard. "Are you sure you're all right?"

Ron looked up at her and nodded, but Hermione gave him that look that told him she wasn't fooled, so he sighed. "It's nothing, really," Ron started, his eyes involuntarily flicking to the other end of the table where Sirius was talking good-humouredly to Ron's father.

"It's just…have you ever gotten that feeling…I mean, you know how you meet someone, you get to know them and then one day you realise…" Ron trailed off as he struggled to find the right words.

"Go on," Hermione urged him quietly.

Ron sighed in defeat – it was no good. He just couldn't find the words, so he simply shook his head. "Never mind, forget I ever said anything."

"Ron," Hermione started to protest in concern.

"Seriously, 'Mione. It's nothing. Just forget about it."

And as he said the words to Hermione, he repeated them silently to himself. _Just forget about it_ – crushing on his best mate's godfather was not something he should be doing; nothing could ever come of it. Ron wasn't an idiot; he knew nothing would ever happen, so it would be better for everyone if he just took his own advice.

* * *

Forgetting would be easier said than done, but after enduring the final days of the summer holiday, forgetting became a lot easier as Ron returned to Hogwarts. School that year proved an ample distraction, with Quidditch and the DA leaving little time for his mind to wander. But while Ron managed to keep his thoughts busy during waking hours, his dreams were full of the man he was trying to forget.

Ron couldn't fail to notice how his heart fluttered every time Harry mentioned his godfather's name, but as the weeks went on he eventually found himself thinking less and less about Sirius. Even his dreams were less frequent than they used to be.

Just when he thought he had got his crush under control, Ron found himself back at Grimmauld Place in the aftermath of his dad's attack. At first, Ron paid no attention to his surroundings, but once he was certain his dad was out of danger – and once he had seen for himself that he was going to make a quick and full recovery – Ron's mind was once again wandering into dangerous territory.

The more time he spent with Sirius, the more he fell for the older man. Ron was thankful that Harry was spending so much time brooding alone – the last thing he needed was for his best mate to figure out what was going on inside his head.

The same couldn't be said for his other best friend. Hermione was as observant as ever, and when she wasn't harping-on at Harry to pull himself together and stop avoiding everyone, she was watching Ron with an intensity that had him on she never said anything, for which Ron was grateful.

The Christmas break passed uneventfully by – unless you counted the fact that Ron was almost caught staring at Sirius for an obscenely long time, on numerous occasions. Oh, and not to mention that Ron was pretty sure he was near enough in love with the man. It got to the point where Ron could barely form a coherent sentence around him.

The start of the new term couldn't come quickly enough. Ron couldn't wait to get back to Hogwarts, away from Sirius' hypnotic presence, so that he could once again try to forget his feelings.

* * *

Hermione knew. Ron had had his suspicions of her knowledge since Christmas, but now he was certain. He could see it in her eyes, as he sat across from her in the hospital wing. Once again he, Harry and Hermione had got caught up in something that resulted in the breaking of too many rules to count. Only this time, their meddling came with the ultimate cost - their reckless escapade had resulted in Sirius' death.

It was Hermione who broke the news to Ron – Ron had been asleep when the others had been told, but when he had woken in the middle of the night, Hermione told him everything.

It was in that moment that Ron realised his feelings for Sirius really were more than mere infatuation – he had fallen in love for the first time. And when Hermione delivered the blow, Ron felt physical pain in his chest – it was as if his heart had fractured into a million pieces. It didn't matter that he shouldn't be in love with his best friend's godfather, or that the man he had fallen for was nearly twice his age. All the guilt that had accompanied his feelings was obliterated by the complete and utter heartbreak that now washed over him.

Ron could see Hermione watching him with understanding and sympathy in her eyes as he tried to keep the tears at bay.

"Ron, I'm—" Hermione started in a whisper, but Ron stopped her. He couldn't have this conversation with her or the conversation that would naturally follow, not now.

"Please, Hermione. Don't," he practically begged her, his voice cracking with raw emotion.

Hermione gave him a sad, knowing smile, and instead of pressing the matter she simply repeated his words to her at Christmas. "Just forget about it?"

Ron nodded, and managed to give her a weak smile of thanks, "Just forget about it."

***#*#***


End file.
